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04/28/2016by Lisa Proulx

PORTSMOUTH - Two students from Great Bay Community College were each recently awarded a $500 stipend from the NH Combat Veterans Motorcycle Association. Each year, the Association chooses students from area colleges and universities who have served in a combat zone and are working to continue their education to receive the award. “We have been doing this for the past five years” said Lynn Santosuosso, PR Officer and Road Captain from the NH Combat Veterans Motorcycle Association. “As vets started coming back and colleges began offering programs to benefit them, we saw a need.”

Cody Stanley from Milton, NH is a GBCC student studying Criminal Justice who served three deployments in Iraq and the Syrian border. He is currently deciding between a career in the military or law enforcement. Fellow student Timothy Rummo of Dover is enrolled in the Teacher Preparation program and aspires to be a high school history teacher. “Great Bay has been a good transition for me” said Rummo. “They are very understanding of our situation.”

Debra Lancaster, Military & VA Liaison/Assistant Registrar at Great Bay provides student veterans with information on VA benefits including the post 9/11 GI Bill, Federal Military Tuition Assistance, NH National Guard Tuition Waiver and Military Scholarships and MyCAA (Military spouses). “We are thankful for the help that organizations like the NH Combat Veterans Motorcycle Association can provide our students.”

The NH Combat Veterans Motorcycle Association, hailing the motto “Vets Helping Vets,” is a 501C19 volunteer non-profit organization. One hundred percent of funds raised are donated to veterans in need.